My Curried Chicken Salad Plate has a definite tropical spring break vibe with a tumble of colorful mixed fruit anchored by a big scoop of curried chicken salad. This summer main course salad is paradise on a plate.
This Great Island curried chicken salad is a feast for all the senses. The colors, textures, and flavors are a celebration of warm weather healthy eating. It’s the ultimate fruit-forward main course salad!
Serve this curried chicken salad with a glass of Pelegrino, a Long Island iced tea, or a nice Sauvignon Blanc. After you’ve finished snapping pics of it put away your phone and dig in, you won’t be disappointed. The beauty of the colors and textures translates directly to great flavors ~ it’s a wonderful meal.
Here’s a recap of the main course salad recipes I’ve shared in my Main Course Salad Challenge ~ they’re all great ways to lighten up your meal planning:
Main course Salad #1 ~ Salmon Cobb Salad
Main Course Salad #2 ~ Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad (balela salad)
Main Course Salad #3 ~ Shrimp Taco Salad
Main Course Salad #4 ~ Chopped Chef Salad with Creamy Sweet Onion Dressing
Main Course Salad #5 ~ Burger Salad Bowl
This salad is based on one I have every time I visit my Dad in Florida. If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time you might know I go down regularly, and always come back with wonderful recipe ideas, usually with a tropical flair.
My favorite lunch spot overlooks the ocean, and we always sit outside so we can watch the flocks of pelicans glide by and maybe even catch some spinner sharks leaping out of the water. They serve a plate like this with a choice of chicken, tuna, or egg salad. You can even have small scoops of all three, if you want. That’s surrounded by a jewel toned wreath of ripe fruit and it’s utterly spectacular. In Florida they garnish it with an orchid, so of course I did too!
Today I made my copy cat version with a curried chicken salad studded with apples, raisins, coconut, and macadamia nuts, which really ups the ‘island’ factor.
Choosing fruit for your curried chicken salad
Choose yours according to what’s in season and best in your area. We’ve all had those meh fruit salads, the ones where the fruit is in huge, rock hard chunks, and it’s more of a garnish than something delicious to eat. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you want your fruit salad to be as fun to eat as it is to look at:
- I used melons, pineapple, kiwi, mango, papaya, grapes, berries, and citrus segments. The main thing is that they be wonderful and fresh.
- I like to cut the fruit into similar bite sized pieces.
- Shapes play a role here, too. Round grapes and melon balls, chunks of pineapple, slices of kiwi…
- Pay attention to color as well and choose a variety.
What makes the curried chicken salad special
curry powder, of course. You can go as mild or as assertive as you like here. It turns the salad a beautiful golden color.
A bit of mango chutney adds a sweet/spicy note.
Diced apples and raisins add texture and sweetness.
A little bit of shredded coconut adds island flair.
Chopped macadamias provide the perfect crunch.
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Curried Chicken Salad Plate
Ingredients
chicken salad
- 2 cups cooked diced chicken
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 heaped Tbsp mango chutney, or other sweet chutney
- 1 tsp curry powder
- salt to taste
- 1/2 apple, chopped, no need to peel
- 1 Tbsp raisins
- 1 Tbsp shredded coconut, sweetened is ok
- 2 Tbsp chopped roasted macadamia nuts
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 leaves of leafy green lettuce, washed and dried
fruit
- assorted fruit, chopped or sliced such as:
- strawberries, halved or quartered
- blueberries
- kiwi, peeled and sliced
- mango, peeled and sliced
- papaya, peeled and sliced
- pineapple, remove rind and core and cut in chunks
- watermelon, cut in small chunks
- cantaloupe, scooped with a melon baller
- honeydew melon, scooped with a melon baller
- grapes, some whole, some halved
- pink grapefruit, supremed
garnish
Instructions
- Mix the mayo with the chutney and curry powder. Add more curry powder if you like it stronger.
- Blend the chicken with the dressing, and then fold in the rest of the ingredients.
- Place 2 leaves of lettuce in the center of each of two wide shallow individual salad bowls. Place a scoop of chicken salad on top of the lettuce.
- Surround the chicken salad with the fruit. You can mix it up, or arrange each type of fruit separately.
- Serve right away with lime wedges, and a sprinkle of coconut.
Notes
more fabulous fruit salads
Cantaloupe and Mango Salad
My cantaloupe and mango salad with a tangy lime dressing is a colorfully delicious fruit salad with a south of the border vibe.
Moroccan Orange Salad
A juicy Moroccan orange salad will freshen up all your winter meals!
Sweet Corn and Watermelon Salad
Sweet corn and watermelon salad pairs two of summer's most iconic foods in one irresistible dish that brightens up any meal. It's simple, healthy, and make ahead friendly. Sort of a super hero summer salad.
Red White and Blue Watermelon Salad
Red white and blue watermelon salad with watermelon stars, blueberries and a pop of feta (or cotija) cheese is the best 4th of July side dish!
Creamy Fruit Salad with Coconut Dressing
Creamy Fruit Salad with Coconut Dressing ~ it’s grandma’s potluck classic spiffed up and brought into the 21st century with a non-dairy vegan coconut lime dressing, and trust me, you won’t miss the marshmallows, the sweetened condensed milk, the instant pudding, or the Cool Whip one bit!
Berry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Stay cool, eat berries: a mixed berry salad is the perfect summer refresher.
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